Dani
by drax4
Summary: A look into the relationship between Danny, Dani and the crazy ever expanding worlds they find themselves in. Rated T just in case
1. Chapter 1

_Knock knock knock_

"Ugh" Danny Fenton turned over in his bed shoving a pillow over his head to block out the noise. It was still dark out there was no reason to wake up. He could squeeze in a few more hours.

He felt a small chill and light blue mist escaped his mouth in a gasp. His ghost sense. Sleep would have to wait for Lancer's class.

There were two things Danny hated at night. One, was being woken up forcefully by ghosts. But that was an easy enough fix. Leap out of the way of whatever trap or death ray that was being aimed at him. Blast what ever ghost had decided to haunt his sleep pattern that night, suck them into the Fenton thermos and drop them back into the zone. If they'd really made him mad leave them in the thermos until morning and then drop them back into the ghost zone before he left for school.

The other thing he hated was being woken up peacefully by ghosts. An attack was one thing. He was used to those. But whenever one of his enemies showed up looking for anything other than a good night's fight things got...complicated. Sometimes there was violence. Like the time Clemper asked him to help retrieve his stuffed animal from the mouth of an ancient one or whenever Kitty threatened to run Johnny over with his own bike for looking at another girl.

They could be funny, but they were rarely fun.

Slowly, he released the pillow from his head and sat up. He stretched his arms-knock knock knock. "Ugh" he groaned. Whatever ghost that had decided to wake him up could wait a few minutes. It wasn't his fault whoever it was had decided to show up at three in the morning, unannounced...in the pouring rain. And they probably had a fire core so..."Damn it."

Knock knock knock. He pushed off his covers, set his feet the ground and stood. He let out a yawn and then marched over to the window, lifting the blind to reveal Skulker. The Ghost Zone's greatest hunter was outside his window, frowning as the rain gave his suit what Danny thought was a much needed wash. There was only so much musk a man could spray on his in with prey.

He unlocked the window and slid it open. "Skulker, what are you doing here?" Out of all his enemies Skulker was the least likely to come ask him for help. The hunter was self-sufficient and proud of it. Yet here he was, outside Danny's window like some creepy high-tech decoration, that someone had forgotten to take down from Halloween, his flaming mohawk and goatee, sizzling and crackling under the torrent.

"I brought you a gift." He growled. "Now, are you going to invite me in, Whelp, or no?" He was also strangely polite in his own way.

Danny motioned for the ghost to enter, and he did by phasing through his wall. Dripping wet, Skulker un-clipped something from his belt, it was too dark for Danny to see properly. He lightly tossed it on the floor, landing smack dab in the middle of a puddle beginning to form under him . He turned to the ghost boy and glared. "Word of advice Ghost Child. Take better care of the things that belong to you. Otherwise they might fall into more villainous hands than mine."

Danny was confused but he knew a threat when he heard one. "What are you getting at, Skulker?" The hunter didn't answer him, instead deciding to exit the same way he came in. Turning intangible, he disappeared into the storm.

Danny looked at the object on the ground. Some clouds had parted slightly allowing moonlight to spill into his room illuminating Skulker's "gift". A small metallic cube with a green button on top. He recognized it right off the bat. He'd been inside one before. It was one of the containment units Skulker got custom made from Vlad. The only question was what was inside it. He was wary of anything that came from both Vlad and Skulker, but he was also groggy and it was 3 in the damn morning. Without thinking, because few people have the proper mental capacities to think at 3 in the morning, He reached for the button and pressed it. Out unfolded a small cage with glowing green bars to keep in ghosts.

Inside, was the most heart wrenching thing Daniel had seen in a long time. Danielle, his clone? Cousin? Daughter? It didn't matter. What did matter was that she was soaking wet and shivering. She was still wearing the same clothes he'd seen her in last, but now they looked like they'd traveled halfway across the country and back. Knowing Danielle, she probably had. She was skinnier than when he'd last seen her too. Who knows when shed last had a proper meal, and if he asked Danielle, he doubted he'd get a clear answer

But what really broke him was the way she looked at him. Huddled in a corner of the cage, with her knees hugged to her chest. Hed never noticed how big and wide her eyes were but she looked like a deer staring down barrel of a gun of a hunter waiting for the moment the trigger was pulled and it would all end. Danny swore that as soon as he was done here he was going to hunt down the Ghost zone's "greatest hunter" and thrash him within an inch of his afterlife.

"D-Danny?" she shivered and then let out a cough.

Was she sick? Danny wondered. "Hold on, Danielle." He said as he began running his hands along the top of the cage looking for the release mechanism he knew must be there. " I'll have you out in a moment."

"No," she moaned. "I'm not supposed to be here." Danny ignored her. They could talk more when he found the-ah, the switch. And with a little bit of pressure a bit of the cage folded in and a few of the green ecto-energy bars began to disappear. Enough for Danny to reach in. grab Danielle, and pull her to his chest.

She struggled a bit but he pulled her tighter, she tried to phase out of his arms but she didn't have the strength. She hadn't been sleeping. Now that he had a better look a t her he could see that there were bags underneath those wide eyes.

Danny's frown increased, "Enough, Danielle." All at once the struggling ceased, she grabbed hold of shirt and burrowed her head into his chest. Sighing, Danny stood. He walked over to his door, opened it, stepped out into the hall and in the way only a ghost could, snuck to his sisters room and knocked.

Jazz Fenton was a night owl, like her brother. But while he spent the nights fighting ghosts, she spent her nights studying whatever topic had caught her interest, psychology, ghosts, ghost psychology. But when she did sleep there was an unspoken rule in the Fenton house that you didn't disturb her.

Danny had broken that rule.

Jazz flung her door open ready to give her brother a piece of her mind, when she saw the little girl in his arms. Her brother had told her about his female clone, eventually, after a lot of coaxing. He'd told them about how Vlad had created her to kill him, how she'd risked her life to save him and then he'd saved her from being melted by Vlad. And how he'd let her go both times.

Jazz had called him stupid. It was one of the few times where she'd flat out insulted her brother instead of trying to dissect his motives. The idea of a 12 year old girl all alone in the world, ghost powers or no, rubbed Jazz the wrong way. From the look of the young girl in her brothers arms her fears were justified.

"She needs a warm shower and some clean clothes to sleep in," Said Danny abruptly. He gave his sister a pleading look. "I was hoping that you would-uhm." Smiling, Jazz held out her hands. Of course she would help. Returning the smile, Danny handed over the girl-Danielle, that's what Danny had called her.

For the first time since Jazz had seen her, the girl stirred. She stared up at Jazz, frightened, and then at Danny. Jazz smiled, she really was a miniature female version of her brother. Danny had looked at their mom and dad and her the exact same way whenever one of their experiments got out of control as a kid.

"It's okay Danielle." Said Danny, running a hand through the girl's hair. "Your Aunt Jazz is going to help you while I find you something to eat. Okay?" He didn't wait for a response. He smiled one last time and then slipped through the floor.

Jazz and Danielle stared at the spot where Danny had last been. "Come on, let's get you into a bath," she said, as she began heading towards the bathroom at the end of the hall.

"I don't really…" she began to protest. Her eyes glowing green to match the warm blush on her cheeks.

"First off," said Jazz cutting her off. "You're soaking wet and we need to warm you up. Second, you stink." They'd arrived in the bathroom, Jazz set her down on the closed toilet seat while she got to working looking for the bubble bath and something to wash her hair. "If I had to guess you slept in an alley at some point recently and didn't bother to wash afterward. And no dips in the river don't count." With a twist of the handle, warm water began to fill the tub. Jazz set on the side of the tub, running her hands through the stream to make sure it wasn't too hot, she poured in a bit of the bubble bath..

Danielle paused, her mouth wide open with the beginning of an argument dying on its tongue. So instead she asked a question. "How'd you know I was going to say that?"

Jazz looked at her niece. "I admit I don't know you very well, but I do know my brother. And I can only assume you've picked up some of his habits for better or for worse." She shut off the water and stood "And that's why I know you're going to try and leave the moment I step away.

The young girl didn't deny it. In fact she looked particularly guilty that she'd been figured out so easily. "Just like Danny." Jazz thought.

"Look, Danielle, if you really don't want Danny to have to worry about you, you'll stay here where it's safe. At least for tonight. If you leave, especially without this bath or getting some food in you, he's just going to spend all night looking for you. You don't want that, do you?"

Dani pursed her lips and stared into her lap. She didn't want to be here. She had been cold and hungry plenty of times, but she'd survived. If it hadnt been for that stupid ghost mistaking her for Danny she wouldn't even be here; even if here was warm and safe. She wouldn't have woken up Danny and Danny wouldn't have woken up his sister and... _sniff_. She didn't want to cry but the tears were starting to collect in the corner of her eyes and she couldn't stop herself. A hand was on her face, wiping away the tears. It was warm.

"Danielle, look at me." The girl wiped at some of the tears streaming down her face and looked up. "It's okay. Both Danny and I are so happy you're here. I admit that when I first heard that you were out there all alone I was confused.

"Confused that someone would violate someone's privacy the way Vlad violated Danny's. Confused that I had this new family member out of nowhere. I was worried. Ghost powers or no, your still a little girl and I was worried you'd get hurt. But most of all, I was hopeful. I'd hoped you'd come back to us, eventually, and not once did I ever think about you as a burden. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." She nodded.

"Good," said Jazz. Standing up and walking towards the door. Now I'm going to find you something to wear and when I come back I expect you to be in that tub. Am I clear?" If the stern sister voice worked on Danny, why wouldn't it work on Danielle?

Danielle nodded. "Great, when I come back we can work on your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair?" she huffed. But Jazz was already out the door, wondering whether she still had some of her old pajama tucked away in her closet.

* * *

The bath had been nice, really nice. She hadn't had a real one since she'd lived with Vlad. She'd avoided them as much as possible back then, because-well, it was Vlad. Even at his best he was kind of annoying.

But now she felt warm and clean, and her hair smelled like peaches. She liked peaches, or at least the way they smelled. What she didn't like were the pajamas Jazz had found for her. They were covered with beakers and tiny pictures of a weird guy with crazy hair. They were also a bright pink. According, to Aunt Jazz, they were the only thing she had that would fit her.

Once dressed, Jazz walked her downstairs. She wanted to float, but Jazz had told she wasn't allowed to use her powers until she at least got something to eat in her system. When they got to the kitchen there was a hot bowl of what smelled like chicken soup waiting for her along with a sandwich. Danny was sitting down at the table, nursing his own bowl, blowing small bouts of ice breath in an attempt to cool it.

"How'd you do that?" asked Danielle. In her amazement, she'd forgotten about Jazz's no power rule and flew over to Danny. She hovered above his bowl watching the frost melt on the side of the bowl.

Danny looked up from his soup, eager. "I could show you if you want."

Danielle's smile faded, as she suddenly realized her mistake. "It's okay," she mumbled. She floated over to her chair, sat down, and slowly began to eat her soup."

Danny persisted"Really, Danielle, it's no trouble. Plus if your ice powers are anything like mine, it'll be really annoying when they start to show." He thought for a moment. "I can show you a few things, but if you really want to lean I could introduce you to Frostbite."

Danielle stopped eating, "Frostbite?"

"He's a friend of mine in the Ghost Zone." She perked up even more at the mention of the Ghost zone. "I have a couple of friends there," said Danny, "Though I don't visit them as much as I should." He added quickly. "If you want I could take you on a tour sometime."

"I…"

"It's no trouble, really." Said Danny.

"Alright." said Danielle, a small smile tugging her face.

The pair went back to their soup. Neither of them noticed when Jazz, smiling, had slipped out of the room. Someone had to set up a bed for Danielle. In Danny's room of course, it would give the pair more time to talk. It wasn't a permanent solution, and they would need a permanent solution, but for now soup and promises of a trip to the Ghost Zone were a start.

* * *

 **Hello, this is something new I'm trying after not writing any fanfiction for a good long time. A lot of fanfics have a Danny/Danielle Father/Daughter, relationship, but they're not always the main focal point, or if the are they're in the shadow of much larger plot lines, which aren't always done well. SO this is my attempt to focus almost solely on the relationship between Danielle, Danny and the world and people around them, and how they adapt and change to match it.**

 **For example, we often see Danielle living with the Far Frozen but, we never really get to see how that came to be. that's not to say stories that use that are bad in any way, it's just a perspective I can't remember ever really seeing. So no real big overarching plots, or if their are, they** **'ll be short. Just a nice Slice of Life story.**

 **Read, Review, and I hope you enjoyed.**

 **P.S let me know about any editing mistakes. I try my best but I more often than not miss really obvious stuff.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Alright, I don't have a plan." Danny, yelled at his friends. They'd been eating lunch outside for the past 10 minutes or so, but they'd been quizzing him for hours on Danielle. Where was he going to keep her? How did he plan to feed her? Did she have the flu? Where was he keeping her while he was at school? How did he plan to take care of a sick ghost girl right underneath his parents noses?

He had an answer for a few of them. Danielle was sick, shed caught a cold from her time out in the rain and those containment cubes weren't exactly the warmest places on the earth. So even though she'd be safer here with him he'd left her at home in his bed. Jazz had managed to convince her parents that she didn't really need to go into school today and could stay home to look for scholarships. His parents were busy working on a new weapon down in the lab so as long as Danielle didn't try to use her powers too much and trip up the sensors she should be fine.

But his friends were right. He was at a loss for what to do when Danielle recovered. He was just a freshman in high school, how was he supposed to take care of a little girl, let alone hide her from his ghost hunting parents?

His head hit the table with a _thunk._ He was pretty sure some of his hair had landed in his applesauce but that was the least of his worries at the moment.

"Hey, come on, man." Said Tucker, sliding into the seat next to Danny so that he could place a comforting arm around his best friend. "We're not trying to bum you out, we just want you to really think about this."

"Yeah," said Sam lifting Danny's head so that it was free of his lunch and then wiping away the gunk with a napkin. "Taking care of a kids a big responsibility, and lets face it Danny as on top of things as you are with ghost hunting, sometimes you forget things, like to put on deodorant in the morning-by the way gross."

"I know all that-it's just..." he struggled for a moment "This is important guys. I can't just let her wander off again, who knows what shape she could come back in." _Thunk_ Back to the table his head went.

Sam sighed, she gave Tucker a look, the look that they'd agreed on two years ago when Danny first got his powers and started to freak out. But either Ticker had forgotten what it meant or he was playing dumb to avoid having to start the conversation. Either way she was punching him in the arm when this was over. "Danny," she said trying to get her friend to look at her. "Have you thought about telling your parents." He nodded, but he biting his lip a bit which meant he was going to argue with her. "If they knew everything you wouldn't have to worry, they could take care of it."

"I-I've thought about it, but it's just too much."

"Dude, we get it, you have a lot to think about."

"Not for me," said Danny frustrated, raising his head an throwing his arms in the air, "For them. If you haven't noticed, even though they're scientists they like to stick to one line of thinking. Ghosts are evil? Of course. Are jumpsuits functional. Wear them as often as possible and nothing else. Does fudge taste good. Yes, keep as much of it in the house as you can.

"Finding out your son is half-ghost would be big for them. Finding out your half ghost son has a female clone who he wants to take care, would blow their brains. And I'm not sure what the rest of the story would do to them, but it can not be good."

It wouldn't be, it just couldn't be. His ghost half was one thing, he'd always imagined that one day he might be able to ease his parents into the idea, but with Danielle in the mix he wasn't sure where he would stand. Would his parents pity Phantom for having a daughter? Could they relate to a ghost? Or would they just be intrigued in a scientific sense?

He could see them now, shoving a gun to his alter ego's head as they demanded an explanation on the ghostly birds and bees. An explanation that he didn't have. Truthfully, he didn't know a lot about ghosts, his parents had tried to explain things to him a million times, because-well, they were his parents. Their research tended to miss it's mark more often than not, and when it did succeed it wasn't always in the way they intended.

 _Maybe I should ask Clockwork about ghosts. He could give me a crash course and…_

"That's it," said Danny, a bit louder than he'd intended. "I could go ask Clockwork for help with Danielle. If anyone would know what to do it would be him."

Danny's friend looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure about this man. I know Clockwork has helped you out before, but this seems a bit below his pay grade." Said Tucker.

"I'm not gonna have him give me step by step directions guys. I just need him point me in the right direction, which he's totally allowed to do." Danny pointed out. The time master had more than once helped him prevent disaster by giving him hints. Hints that could be broken down to Clockwork telling Danny not to do something stupid and then Danny doing it anyway, but hints nonetheless.

Still his friends didn't look completely sold on the idea. "Come on guys, if anyone would know what to do it's him. I mean, what's the point of having near omniscient friends if you can't ask them for help."

His friends had to admit it was one of Danny's better ideas. Still though… "Maybe you shouldn't rely solely on Clockwork to get your answers," supplied Sam. "Besides the fact that there's no guarantee he'll actually tell you what you want, you've never been very good at figuring out what he's trying to tell you."

The first part was said under her breath, but Danny caught it. Still, he couldn't exactly prove her wrong the Time Master wouldn't tell Danny anything he didn't think he needed to know and sometimes the things he didn't need to know were exactly what Danny wanted to know.

"We're just saying you shouldn't place everything on Clockwork. You have other friends in the zone, maybe you should ask them for help."

"Yeah, like Frostbite and Dora," said Tucker "And that greek ghost with the cursed box, she seemed nice."

"Pandora," supplied Sam

"Yeah, her."

Danny shrugged. " But I don't really talk to them unless something's wrong or I need something or I'...m a horrible friend aren't I?

"Occasionally."

"From time to time."

"Ugh" _Thunk_. He only looked up when he felt a hand on his arm.

He looked up to see Sam "Come on Danny, it couldn't hurt to give it a shot."

Break

"Yowch"

Danny was rolling his shoulders, and, yep, something was broken or at least bruised. Yeti hugs were the worst. It wasn't because they were that crushing, Danny had gotten used to bone crushing bear hugs through his Dad. But no, Yeti hugs came in packs, many packs, because the Great One was here and everyone wanted to meet him.

Out of all his allies in the Ghost Zone he'd decided to visit Frostbite first. The leader of the Far Frozen was nowhere near the closest out of all his allies-it was a good hour and a half trip to the Realm of the Far Frozen at max speed- but his visit was guaranteed to be the least awkward, yeti hugs aside.

He'd barely landed before he was encased in a wall of white fur. He was released only to be wrapped up again and again as they formed a line. Frostbite just stood to the side, patiently as his people came to meet their hero. The Far Frozen were if anything, kind, patient, and overly-friendly.

Eventually, he was released. The last member of his greeting party, a young girl let him go and ran giggling towards a group of her friends who had already had their turn. Frostbite strode up to him as he stretched, smiling, hand extended for a courteous handshake instead of a hug.

Danny silently thanked his friend and took it. "It's good to see you again Frostbite."

"As it is to see you." In a lot of ways Frostbite reminded Danny of his a father. He was big and kind and a bit of a goof, but where Danny's father was a bit more homely and (comparatively) down to earth, Frostbite held a certain grandeur, that interestingly enough had nothing to do with him being a 7 foot tall yeti. He could walk into a room and you could tell that he was the one in charge, whereas his father would usually have to take the reins, often forcefully. "What can I help you with, Great One."

"I actually came for a few reasons Frostbite. What would it take for me to get my own realm? Preferably someplace close to my parent's portal." He added on quickly.

Frostbite stumbled, "OH-uhm Great One, what brings this on? Aren't you content with your home in Amity Park."

"Oh, well," And now Danny stumbled, brushing a hand through his hair. "It's not for me. You see, there's this girl, Danielle, and-"

"Ah," said Frostbite raising a hand to stop the Great One before he began to ramble. "I understand, Great One. Follow me, we can discuss this fully somewhere more...private." He sent a glare at remaining Far Frozen who hadn't left yet. They either all had work to do or at least something more important to do than listening in on his conversations. He wrapped a hand around Danny and began to usher him to the main hall. He and his young guest had much to talk about.

* * *

 **Hey all, sorry this was a bit later than I was expecting and It's nowhere near as large as it was supposed to be. I just wanted to get this chapter out a quick but I've been dealing with family, so it's been a bit delayed.**

 **Anyway, review and I hope you enjoyed it**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry, if this chapter is super late and a bit more sketchy than normal. I had to write most of it on my phone, because the internet at my place is a bit nonexistent right now. I need a new router. I just wanted to get this chapter out since I know youve been waiting on it. Ill properly edit it later.**

Chapter 3

The soup was good. He wasn't sure exactly what meat was floating around in it (It was too soft to be pork or beef and a bit tougher than chicken) or where in the Far Frozen's icy domain they managed to grow vegetables or what kinds. Still he slurped it down and then asked for another bowl.

That was nothing compared to Frostbite though who was already on his fourth bowl along with a full loaf of bread, a roasted chunk of whatever beast was in their soup and a couple baked fish that had looked normal enough for Danny to take a slice or two, all of which he washed down with a green liquid that smelled like some sort of beer or wine. He of course shared all of this food with the Great One, but he was too engrossed in his soup to take any more than a taste and so he took the lion's share.

They were the only people within the great dining hall the Far Frozen had carved deep within the cliffs they called their home. It was reminiscent of a great Norse longhouse with tables that stretched from one end to the other. Spears and other wepons decorated the walls, along with paintings dipicting great heros and mosters that for all Danny knew could have been myths, but were more than likely real.

"So," said Danny setting down his bowl and wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

Frostbite pushed his "Yes, you wished to talk to me about your offspring."

"She's-uh well she's...it's more complicated than that, I-"

"It is fine Great One. You do not need to explain anything to me. News tends to travel pretty far here in the Ghost Zone, especially when it pertains to you. You may forget that you're something of a celebrity here in the Ghost Zone, but we do not."

Danny blushed. He was so busy with ghosts seeking revenge on him or aiming for his pelt that he often forgot there were a good number of them that really liked him. "Thanks, Frostbite." And then a thought occurred to him, "But if you know about Danielle, what about Walker or Spectra? Would they hurt her to get to me?"

Frostbite frowned, "Unlikely, children are protected under the ancient rights of the Ghost Zone. Ghosts don't have children often, so a new one, whatever their origin is protected. I'm sure if any of them came across your charge they would have done their best to help her."

"Now that you mention it, the whole reason she's with me now is because Skulker dropped her off with me." The Ghost Zones greatest hunter had looked particularly annoyed at the idea of Danielle out in the rain. "He seemed upset."

"Ah yes, that has been a subject of much...discussion in the Zone." Danny stared at his friend. Frostbite grimaced "Sightings of her have been mixed, At first her existence was mere gossip. A story heard from a friend to a friend about how they'd gone to the human world and encountered a small female half-ghost that looked an awful lot like you, Great One. As more of these stories piled up though, the evidence became irrefutable, as did questions. Like 'where-did-she-come from? Who was her mother?' But more importantly people were asking where her father was. By now many in the Ghost Zone view you as something of a deadbeat."

Frostbites words struck Danny, "Great," he said, "Not only do my enemies hate me, they think I'm some sort of terrible parent who just abandons their kid. What's worse is that, they're not wrong."

"When Skulker brought her back to me she wasn't really in good shape," he explained. "She was cold and hungry, and I would have been none the wiser if Skulker hadn't captured her. She was so weak I doubt she could have put up much of a struggle, and I can't imagine how scared she ust have been. He stuffed her into one of those tiny cages Vlad had built for me, and all because I wasn't there for her." Like a mallet his fist struck the table, glowing green with his rage. The table cracked under his force, he jerked his hands away.

He tried to calm down and make energy dissipate, but he was shaking. Every breath he took he shivered, just like Danielle had last night. It wasn''t the cold, Frostbite had taught him how to deal with that. He wasn't crying either, it was just...Jazz had been right! She was just a little girl, how had he expected her to eat and sleep. He should have never let her go. He should have…

A larger paw came to rest on his shoulders. "Great One you have made a grievous error." Danny began to shake again and the paw squeezed a bit harder steadying him. "But there is time to fix it, and your visit here is the first step.

"Now," said Frostbite, clapping his hands together and breaking the tension that had built in the room. "As for your question, I am unaware of how to make a realm myself. The Far Frozen has existed long before I formed, and it has had many rulers before me." His ice hadn gestured to the portraits hanging above him. All of which had the same blue cape that Frostbite wore. "Many of which were not even the Far Frozen as you know them today." He pointed to a picture at the end of the hall, with a great white wold glaring down at the main table. "In times immemorial this was once the domain of Old Man Winter, a very powerful ghost, despite his name, who made this realm into a kingdom envied far and wide. He created what you might call the ancestors of the Far Frozen to help him with his work and guard the realm. It was said to be a golden age, before Pariah's rule disrupted much of the Ghost Zone."

Danny sat and listened as a glint appeared in his friends eyes. Frostbite spun an interesting story, his skeletal ice hand waving in the air as he described the great castle that had once sat on this very mountain and the ghosts that had dwelled within. His ancestors, messengers and guardians who'd travel all over the ghost zone, only to return to Old Man Winter with news of their travels and gifts from other realms. This was way better than any history class he'd ever had. Probably, because it reminded him of some of the more interesting parts, great rulers who carved their name into history. Better yet it was a ghost, most of the Ghost Zone leaders he'd met had tried to kill him, even Frostbite wasn't innocent in that regard.

The minutes swept past as Danny listened to his friend expunge about the might and glory of the Far Frozen in its heyday. To Danny's the Far Frozen were still incredible. They were organized, powerful and among some of the most advanced ghosts he'd met in the Zone. But to hear Frostbite tell it, the entire zone had once been filled with empires and kingdoms far greater.

Eventually, Danny realized he had to go. Being in the Ghost Zone was always a bit disorienting when it came to time. There was nothing like a sun to mark its passage in the Ghost Zone only the shifting warping green energy that probably had some sort of pattern to it, but Danny had yet to learn how to read it.

All of that was mute however since he was currently deep underground.

Danny stood up, brushing away some bread crumbs from his lap. "Thanks for the history lesson Frostbite. It was nice." he said and meant it.

"It was my pleasure Great One. The halls of The Far Frozen may not be as full or grand as they used to be, but they still hold much of the history of the Ghost Zone." Frostbite led the way as they walked out of the great hall and into a corridor.

"Yeah, I need to bring Danielle by next time. I'm sure she'd love to meet you." The halls of the Far Frozen were still very much a maze to Danny, and according to Frosbites stories, they had purposelessly been built like that, to repel invaders,. One moment your following a hall that goes up and up, to what you think is the throne room only to find your self turning a corner that leads deep into the mountain, and to a dungeon

"You could have brought her this time Great One. It would be an honor to meet her." And it would, but. Frostbite also had a sneaking suspicion that if the young ghost girl was anything like her father she would need quite a bit of guidance...maybe more.

"She's at home' said Danny gleefully. It felt good to be able to say that sentence."I promised I'd take her on a trip to the Ghost Zone eventually, but right now she's caught a cold, so my sister Jazz is watching over her."

"Ah," said Frostbite, not commenting further. Perhaps, the rumors of the Great Ones parenting were not completely unfounded. "Come with me, Great One," he said, not harshly but not gently either. Before Danny could respond he'd turned around a corner and Danny was forced to follow.

They were going up, that much was clear. Which was good, because little else ever was in the great maze the Far Frozen had turned their homes into, or perhaps it was Old Man Winter who'd designed the everything like this and Frostbite and hjs people had simply left it the same.

The medical wing of the Far Frozen was reserved mostly for hunting and combat accidents. The Far Frozen, despite everything Danny had seen of them, were a particularly violent race when it suited them. It wasn't uncommon for a hunter to come back with severe injuries even if they'd only gone fishing. The injuries weren't always inflicted by an animal either. More than likely they were cause by hunting buddy, who had become a bit jealous of his friends haul and was tired of hearing him crow about. So the hunting buddy decided his friend would look a lot better with an arrow sticking out of one of his arms. And in the culture of the Far Frozen it was considered almost rude not to respond to your new accessory by trying to gouge out one of your friends eyes.

The two would tussle for a bit, try and kill each other maybe once or twice more, but by next week the trip would be over. They would stumble their way back home, agreeing that things had gotten out of hand with a lot of crying and hugging and promises to be better when they got back. But more importantly they agreed that no one should know what they'd done, and that they'd need a story, a good one.

So when Danny walked into the Far Frozen clinic, instead of rows of sick ghosts lying in bed groaning about their wounds, he found groups huddled together around ice tables, telling stories as loudly as they could so that everyone could hear. Meanwhile the nurses and doctors tried their best to push them back into bed or at least quiet them down so they wouldn't disturb the few patients that were actually sleeping. A few of the ghosts were still oozing ectoplasm, or had spear hilts or in one unfortunate case a full spear lodged in them. The doctors, the older ones who were used to this, had given up trying to move them and instead were treating them where they were.

Danny, looked at the scene in interest, while Frostbite simply sighed and then put on a kind but very fake smile. As shouts rang out for him to "make himself a seat" and to finally "spill his guts" about what happened to his arm. He politely turned them down. There was a reason he didn't go hunting anymore. He grabbed the first nurse that passed by, blood coating his paws and whispered something to him. The nurse nodded and then ran back in the direction he came, whatever poor soul he'd been helping completely forgotten.

After a good 30 minutes of howling laughter and screams of pain (a xouple of Far Frozen had started a bet to see who could go the longest without anesthetic) an elderly ghost stepped into the room from what looked like a side office. Immediately, the tall tales ended and the groups scrambled back to their own beds with only a few disputes over whose bed was whoms.

He walked the length of the floor a cane in one hand that clicked with each step. He didn't look that frightening to Danny, tired maybe, but as he past by each bed several of the brave warriors remembered that they were seriously hurt or ducked their heads underneath the covers.

He reached Danny and Frostbite and held out a small bowl he'd kept tucked underneath his arms. He smiled a slightly toothy smile, "It took me a while to come up with something that might work."

Danny took the bowl and uncovered it. Inside was a pale blue liquid. It was undoubtedly some form of medicine it smelled exactly the way most medicines smelled, ghost or human. "Its diluted quite a bit." Said the old ghost. " The girl is only half ghost after all and a child at that. The last thing I would want to do is overload her."

"Thank you," said Danny, "but what exactly is this?" Inexperienced as he was at this whole father thing, he wasnt going to just give his daughter something withoit at least asking what it did.

The doctor scoffed, "A ghost who doesn't know the power of ectoplasm," he swung his cane into Danny's shin."Even if it only makes up half of him it's inexcusable." He gave Frostbite a sharp look.

"Listen boy ectoplasm is life for ghosts it pervades the Ghost Zone in the same way air pervades your human world. In its rawest forms it is dangerous but powerful and can boost a ghost's power exponentially . Distilled down as it is here, and with the right herbs" He taped the bowl with his cane, "it can be used for medicine. Learn your heritage boy."

With a huff he turned around and walked back the way he came. An aid that Danny was just now noticing trailing after him. The minute he stepped back into his office the patients started to shuffle out of their beds and Danny turned to Frostbite.

"That was Fjord, he's...somewhat overwhelming, but there's no doubt that if he made this personally it will help Danielle with her cold. He didnt leave instructions but judging by the potency. I would say that if you give her at least two spoonfuls every couple hours she'll be back to normal by tomorrow."

Danny stared down at the bowl in his hands with a new interest. Apparently, human medicine has nothing on ghost medicine, he thought. He looked up at his friend and smiled. "Thanks, Frostbite." he said.

"You are, welcome Great One. Come," he said, leading his young charge back into corridor. "I will make sure you get out quickly. Young Danielle is probably waiting for you?"

Break

It's common knowledge that the common cold is hell. For a person who's never been really sick before, they might think that by some cruel fate the universe was conspiring against them and their good fortune was finally at an end and that they must be dying. Danielle knew better.

She was half dead already and she'd never felt like this. Hell, she'd almost fully died by melting into a puddle, and that still didn't match the head pounding malaise that her body felt.

Back when she was melting Danny had saved her, but Danny wasn't here. He had left for school early this morning, and when hed gotten home he'd checked on her briefly before heading into the Ghost Zone. She had been asleep, but she was sure hed checked on her.

She understood of course. Danny was busy, he didn't have time to fully take care of her. So instead he'd left her with "Aunt Jazz" as she liked to be called. Danielle was still mulling over whether that was a good or a bad thing, but she didnt really respond to anything else so "Aunt Jazz" it was.

She had taken good care of Danielle. From the moment. Danny had left for school and his parents had barricaded themselves in the garage to do something with explosives, Jazz had watched over.

She'd brought her a box of tissues that Danielle had almost ran through. Shed made Daniele some fresh soup, even though Danielle had said she wasn't she'd forced her to eat, saying something along the lines of it'll make you stronger. Wich in Danilelles fever addled mind didn't make sense. She was strong. Plenty strong, maybe not as much as Danny or Vlad but still strong. But she didn't say that, she really didn't feel like arguing so she ate part of it. She rest sat on Danny's bedside.

She also found out some things like the fact Aunt Jazz talked a lot. She talked and talked, mostly about things Danielle didn't understand, like psychology and hero complexes that she was prettys sute she had. but more interesting than that, because everything was more interesting than that to Danielle, were the stories she had to tell. They had to be goaded out of her and she had to be pulled back on track more than once when she went off on a tangent but they were amazing.

Everything from the trials of Heracles to how her father had cried himself to sleep watching a scary movie when he was 4.

That was another thing, she kept calling Danny her dad.

She wasn't his daughter, she was his clone. Not an exact clone, she still wasn't sure what mistake Vlad had made to make her a girl but a clone nonetheless. The last thing she'd learned about her 'Aunt' Jazz was that it didn't help to correct her. "He's not my dad." That didn't stop her from trying.

She broke into another sneezing fit and with all the speed of the deathly sick reached for a nightstand and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose. When she stopped Jazz put a hand to her forehead. "Ugh, you're realymly starting to burn up." Jazz picked up the rag that had been placed on her head since that morning and had fone flyng to the ither end of the bed when shed started sneezing along with a cup Jazz had designated as her "sicky" cup and headed towards the door. "I'll be back in a moment Danielle I'm just going to wet this again and get you some more water."

Danielle groaned, she'd had enough water. If she drank one more cup Aunt Jazz could pop her open like a baloon..that or she'd pee the bed. She'd barely moved all day and she really didn't want to.It wasnt just the sickness talking, the bed was comfier than anything she'd had in a long time, and it smelled like Danny. It wasn't a particularly nice smell, according to Jazz it was teenage boy mixed with ectoplasm, but it was comforting.

She rolled onto her side and nuzzled into the pillow. She glanced at the floor and in the bored logic that only makes sense when you're sick, wondered what would happen lf she phazed through the floor and just kept going to the other side of the world. She giggled, Aunt Jazz would probably start digging a hole, and Danny would…

She wasn't sure what Danny would do. If she was in trouble he might come after her. If she got stuck in some secret underground cavern surrounded by mole people, she didn't doubt that Danny would swoop in and blast them all, but if she kept going to the other side-well then she could handle herself.

Danielle blinked, in front of her was a wall of glowing black and white, Danny. He had appeared while she was lost in thought staring at the floor. How long had he been there? Was he really there or was she sleeping? Where was Jazz?

"Oh man , you don't look so good." Said Danny, and if she was feeling better she probably would have told him that he looked even worse. But she just didn't feel up to it she coukdnt even supply a condescending "Duh". She did feel hot though hotter than she'd had most of the day. That probably wasnt good.

"Here, Danielle, said the Probably-Danny who looked just a bit fuzzy. Something was pressed to her lips and she was ordered to drink.

She did slowly it was cool and tasted like mint. From the moment she swallowed it, she felt better, cooler. Her eyes finally focused to show Danny above her. He had a spoon in one hand and a frown on his face. He looked really silly and she wante dto tell him that.

"Daddy?" That hadn't come out right.

Normally, the moment she saw that shocked expression on Danny's face she would have sprung out of bed and at least tried to explain the situation, but she still wasn't there yet strength wise.

So instead she pursed her lip and stayed quiet. She stared at Danny as his shocked expression turned into smile. He placed a hand on her forehead. It was cool, much cooler than any ice rag Aunt Jazz could find. It calmed her and made her a drowsy as the cold always did. She began to shut her eyes and drift off to sleep snowflakes formed above her head.

She was dreaming. Most definitely dreaming as her eyes shut and she heard what sounded like a "That's right."

She murmured something and was keenly aware that whatever it was probably didn't make much sense. Except the last word.

"Cool," she said.

Break

I **know most stories have Danny** **dad mode but the thing is he's a teenager. A teenager with loving but also pretty scatterbrained parents. He has only a eough idea of what hes doing and what he should be doing.**

 **Couple that with Danielle who has some slight abandonment issues and tou have some interesting drama**

 **But concerning the chapter itself I think I did a fairly good job. I know most stories imagine the Far Frozen as highly advanced and civilized, but after reviewing the episodes thier in they do seem highly advanced but also kind of a brutal society that lieks a bitnof the Ol' ultraviolence when they get bored.**

 **Frostbite however is a new type of leader one I imagine the Far Frozen hadnt had in a while. A strong leader who retains control and repect yes. But a strong leader who wants to push his people forward past the old ways they've clinged to. Thats just my take**

 **Review and I hope you enjoyed.**


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